tempus quo ipse eos sustulisset ad id tempus convenire

[David Fields]

Roma Aeterna
Caput XLI. lines from 118

"Iam inde ab initio Faustulo spes fuerat regiam stirpem apud se educari, nam et iussu regis infantes expositos esse sciebat et tempus quo ispse eos sustulisset ad id tempus convenire. Sed..."

From context, I think the last part is about the shepherd realizing that he is eventually going to have to "spill the beans" and tell the boys, Remus and Romulus, he found them, suckling a wolf.

"sciebat": he knew--setting up the indirect statements.

"tempus": time, or the appropriate time

"quo ipse eos sustulisset": when he had saved them. pluperfect, completed action. subordinate clause in an indirect statement. I am very unsure about the "when"

"ad id tempus": until that moment (?)

"convenire". fitting.....

I can't put it all together. Any hints?

 

[Pacifica]

He knew that babies had been exposed on the king's order and that the time when he had taken them (= Romulus and Remus) up corresponded to that time (i.e. to the time when babies had been exposed on the king's order).

In other words, he knew (probably through people's talk or something) about babies being exposed on the king's order and he strongly suspected that those were the very same kids he had adopted, since the time matched.

 

[David Fields]

Gratias tibi ago.

I spent a whole afternoon on an incorrect line of thought...... "ipse" is the king, not Faustulus!! Then I might have correctly understood the tollo.

Again, very much appreciated, Pacifica.

 

[Pacifica]

"ipse" is the king, not Faustulus!!

No, it is Faustulus.

tempus quo ispse eos sustulisset = the time when he (himself = Faustulus) had taken them (= Romulus and Remus) up.

 

[David Fields]

Ah....thanks again....clearly the concept behind that part of the sentence broke my brain--I hope only temporarily.